Device for introducing rod-shaped objects into open boxes



March 18, 1958 M. POLLMANN 2,826,883

DEVICE FOR maonucmc ROD-SHAPED OBJECTS INTO QPEN BOXES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 18. 1954 1 N I INVENTOR. Jiax Poilmafiiz M. POLLMANN DEVICE FOR :[NTRODUCING ROD-SHAPED OBJECTS INTO OPEN BOXES March 18, 1958 Filed Oct. 18. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 INVENTOR. JQI x j aZ/mann 3 .flzfarn e95 yjna ma United States Patent O DEVICE FOR INTRODUCING ROD-SHAPED OBJECTS INTO OPEN'BOXES Max Pollmann, vHamburg-Bargetlorf, Germany, assignor to Kurt Kiirber & C0. K. G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Application October 18, 1954, Serial No. 462,969

Claims priority, application Germany October 20,1953 11 Claims. (Cl. 53-236) This invention relates to a device for feeding rodshaped objects into open boxes or frames and .more'particularly to a device for feeding cigarettes, which in transverse direction to their longitudinal axis are discharged from the outlet of a cigarette rod machine, into traveling open boxes. I v

Devices of the open box type forcollecting cigarettes are known in which the cagarettes at right angles to their longitudinal axis are brought into a distributing device which is arranged above the path of the open box and imparts a component of motion .to the cigarettes in the direction of travel of the lengthwise movable box so that throughout the longitudinal extension of the container the cigarettes are moved from a downwardly inclined guideway towards the leadingfront wall ofthe open box.

Moreover, it is known to feed the cigarettes transversely to their longitudinal direction in a predetermined path between a stationary and a movable surface into a series of boxes, in which arrangement the movable surface is more or less raised by the quantity of cigarettes passing between both surfaces and by way of a control device acts upon the drive which displaces the boxes underneath the supply device.

Furthermore, for the purpose of safely feeding the cigarettes into the open boxes a feeder device is known consisting of a rotating wheel having vanes which regulates the supply of cigarettes to the feeder deviceand the rotational speed of which wheel is likewise influenced by the quantity of cigarettes passing between a movable and a stationary surface.

Itis also known to decrease the rate of feed of the boxes arranged one behind the other and moved forward at an adjustable speed, shortly before termination .of the filling operation or else to permit the boxes to move slowly past the filling station, while on the other hand to switch the drive over to a faster speed when the next box moves into filling position.

However, all the above described devices were unable to prevent the cigarettes from .taking an oblique position when fed into the boxes and thus from giving rise to disturbances.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages by delivering the cigarettes into one feeding channel or into a plurality of feeding channels which deposit the cigarettes in a vertical downward direction into open boxes traveling past said channels. The feeding channels, according to the invention, consist each .of two stationary shaft walls, and each intake opening above-the shaft walls is provided with a pair of rotating, preferably circular rods positioned parallel to each other and journalled eccentrically, while the bottom portion of said a Patented Mar. 18,

eration which influences the speed of the driving mechanism for the open boxes.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of example two embodiments of the invention, and in which: 7

Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevation of the filling device, and

Fig. 2 shows a similar side view of a modified filling device.

Fig. 3 illustrates a somewhat different position of the walls of the feed ducts, two of which are shown in closed position, as they are at the beginning of thefilling operaion of a box.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified construction of the device for adjusting the lower portion of a feed duct.

Fig-'6 is an end view along the line VI-VI .of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of one of the open boxes to befilled with cigarettes.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the cigarettes v2 are deposited by the conveyor belt 1 of a cigarette rod machine onto an inclined plate 3 leading towards an inlet opening 4 which is provided with a pair of rotating, preferably circular rods 5 having approximately the length of a cigarette and being positioned parallel to each other and journalled eccentrically. Below the rods 5, two shaft walls are provided which carry two hinges 7 at a certain distance from thelower end of said walls. The lower portions 8 of the shaft wall, approximately made of equal length, are supported by the hinges 7. The wall portions 8 are of such'length that they project into the open boxes travelling past them.

Below the belt 1 a plate 9 is arranged which at the place 10 is bent downwardly and projects down almost 'to thebottom of the open box 11. The front walls 12 of the boxes are formed in two sections so that the bent-off end portion 13 of the plate 9 may reach between the front walls of the boxes. The lower portions 8 preferably are of such a width that they are able to pass between the divided front walls. In proximity to the feed duct A, there is preferably arranged a second channel or duct B of the same construction as the first one and close to the second duct B there is provided a third duct C. The number of the feed ducts A, B and C can be increased to any desired number. It is the length of the open box which determines the number of feed ducts. Between the various ducts there are preferably disposed cover plates 14, the purpose of which is to prevent't-he cigarettes supplied by the cigarette rod machine to drop down between the feed ducts. A wall 15 encloses the entire feed device.

The filling of the first box is initiated by the feed duct A situated according to Figs. 1 and 2 farthest to the left hand, While the feed ducts B and C'still remain closed by keeping the lower portions 8 thereof in an upwardly Inclined pos tion (Fig. 3). When continuing its forward travel, the leading front wall of the first box moves :underneath and past the second feed channel B, and

during this interval the lower portions -8 of ducti'B are swung downward. Thereby cigarettes are "fed into the box also through the duct B, and a similar operation takes-placeat the duct C. The feed duets B "and 6- do the deposit of cigarettes is prevented;

tained during normal feed.

the surface of the filled box ing motion of the lower portion 8 an electric contact is closed which acts upon a control element. of the box conveying device (not shown). For example, if three feed ducts are provided for filling one box, then the traveling speed of the box can be increased when for instance the lower portions 8 of the feeding duct C are tilted upwardly.

A modification of the above described filling device is shown in Fig. 2, wherein the same parts shown inFig. 1 are designated by like. numerals. According to the invention, the feed ducts A, B and C can be arranged in a staggered manner in a ditferent elevation as indicated in Fig. 2, so that the individual feed ducts are always uniformly supplied with cigarettes.

Referring now to the Figs. 1 and 3, it will be noted.

that the lower portions 8 of the shaft walls for the ducts B and C are adapted to be moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a gearing consisting of pinion 16 on a manually rotatable shaft 16a carrying on its forwardly and outwardly projecting end a handle 21. The pinion 16 meshes with an intermediate gear 17 which in turn engages two gears 18 and 19. Each of the gears 18.and 19 carries on one of its faces an eccentrically mounted pin 22 and 23 respectively, for engaging one of the lower portions 8 of the saft walls to move the same counterclockwise from a freely vertically suspended position (Fig. 1) to an approximate horizontal position (Fig. 3). While in this embodiment both ducts B and C are closed and opened simultaneously, each of the ducts B and C may be provided with a separate adjusting device, as shown in Fig. 5,; in which the gear 16b on the shaft 16c meshes directly with the gear 19 so that the eccentric pin 23 on the latter actuates the portions 8 of the duct C only.

The lower portions 8 of the duct A may be adjusted by a device similar to the one shown in Fig. 5.

The rotatable rods 5 are arranged in pairs and as particularly shown in Fig. 4, the rods are eccentrically mounted on circular crankdiscs 5a arranged in suitable openings in the rear and front walls 20 of the magazine 15. The outer bearing pins of the rollers 5 are journallcd in a bearing plate 24 attached to the rear and front walls of the magazine and adjacent the rear wall 24 the bearing pins have gears 5b attached thereto meshing-with intermediate gears 50., The entire gear train is driven by a gearing 28a driven by a suitable drive shaft 39.

The conveyor device for the open boxes 11 comprises an endless chain 28 provided with transverse bars 27 adapted to engage the lower corner of the boxes 11 and move the same along a pair of spaced parallel guide and supporting rails 26 past the filling device.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is. not limited to the details of the foregoing examples.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for filling open boxes with rod-shaped objects, for example, cigarettes which in transverse direcaaaasss tion to their longitudinal axis are discharged from the outlet of a cigarette rod machine, conveyor means for feeding said open boxes along a horizontal pathway, a plurality of feed ducts mounted above said pathway into which the cigarettes are discharged by said cigarette rod machine, each of said feed ducts including two spaced parallel stationary shaft walls which at the upper inlet ends for the cigarettesare provided each with a pair of spaced parallel rotary circular rods journalled eccentrically, two spaced parallel movable shaft walls, and means for pivotally attaching the upper ends of said movable shaft walls to the lower ends of said stationary shaft walls, said rotary circular rods feeding the cigarettes in perpendicular downward direction into said ducts and into the boxes traveling along said pathway past the lower ends of said ducts.

2. Device according to claim 1, in which the eccentrically journalled rods are arranged positioned above the upper ends of the shaft walls.

3. Device according to claim 1, in which the pivot means are arranged above the upper edge of the front walls of the open boxes.

4. Device according to claim 1, in which the pivotally mounted portions of the feed ducts are provided with means for actuating an electric switch for the conveyor mechanism of the open boxes, whereby the rate of travel of the boxes is regulated when moving the following box through a determined length.

5. Device according to claim 1, including means for pivoting the lower portions of the shaft walls into an inclined position to interrupt the feeding of cigarettes into the boxes.

6. Device according to claim 1, in which the upper inlet ends of the feedducts are arranged all at the same elevation.

7. Device according to claim 1, including cover plates arranged between the upper ends of the feed ducts.

8. Device according to claim 1, in which the lower portions of the shaft walls project into the boxes to be filled.

9. Device according to claim 1, in which the lower portions of the shaft walls are of equal length.

1.0. Device according to claim 1, in which the lower portions of the shaft walls are adapted to pass between the divided front walls of the open boxes.

11. In a device for filling cigarette frames, comprising a hopper for receiving cigarettes from the discharger of a cigarette rod machine, an endless conveyor mounted below said hopper for conveying said cigarette frames along a horizontal pathway, ducts extending downwardly from said hopper toward said pathway, chutes on the lower ends of said ducts arranged to swing to and fro in the direction of conveyor travel, said cigarettes being adapted to be fed to the cigarette frame traveling below the hopper transverse to the direction of said pathway, and a guide strip projecting downwardly from said hopper and arranged to extend into said cigarette frames to a point adjacent the lower portion thereof, said cigarette frames being provided with slotted ends to accommodate said guide strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,641,078 'Furst Aug. 30, 1927 1,668,693 Molins May 8, 1928 1,984,808 Popov Dec. 18, 1934 2,354,040 Molins et al July 18, 1944 2,613,861 Goerlitz Oct. 14, 1952 

